[BSD-RP] Soul Society: Rukongai

[Shinigami]

Himari tried to calm her nerves as they moved further and further away from the walls of the Seireitei, somewhere she had called home for the past few years, to the walls of that would bring them into Rukongai, a place she also had called home at one point in her life as a Shinigami. She didn’t understand why she was nervous. Maybe because this was the first actual task she had since being assigned to be in the fifth. And the possible unknowns that could happen.
Maybe that’s what scared her the most.
She was sure, where ever this was going to lead her, it was probably uninhabited. Having known that most of the families and other souls lived within the center of Rukongai. But still. The words of the High Priestess did send a Sense of worry inside her. But she did well at not showing the others that were coming along aside her. She didn’t want to worry them as well, and she also didn’t want them to feel like she was unfit for the job just how she felt she was unfit. This was a high powered river and if anything went wrong while Arashi wasn’t around, well, let’s just say dozen upon dozen would be harmed and it would be her fault.
‘Okay, Himari, let’s not be too negative here’ she thought to herself as her feet would touch the ground, finally.
She spent this time looking around. They had landed in a farm area that Himari herself has never seen before. The farm itself was literally falling apart for what she could see, the building rotten and making squeaky noises as the wind would push against it. And the grass underneath her feet was as withered and dead than anything she had ever seen. And it crunches under her feet.
“Look around, make sure no one is hiding around the area. We don’t want any surprises.”
She directs this to the men look around even though she knew no one was here. She couldn’t feel any lingering spiritual pressure in the area. As she closed her eyes and let herself sense around the area, there was nothing. But there were ways to hide your spiritual pressure, so she had to be safe. But she was confident in her Sensing abilities, having the type of Zanpakuto she had she had to use it to her expertise.
As the men came back and reported to her that there was no one in the perimeter she let out a breath of relief. Good. Now they can just make sure it stays that way until the Lieutenant shows up.
“Make sure to keep looking, make sure nobody comes and surprises us.”
They would all nod and Himari would turn away. Her mind now going back to her earlier thoughts. Just what was happening that now they had to destroy artifacts? Who are after them? And why? She hoped her she would get answers but she also felt she probably wouldn’t.

 

[Shinigami]

Reverting back to her thoughts, as it seemed to be a common thing of hers. If she indeed felt so trapped, then she wouldn’t notice the arrival of her Lieutenant and the four men from Head Quarts accompanying him. His uniformed moved with a slight ripple, their blue coats swaying in the passing wind. Arashi stands behind Himari and while his head turns to look around to see her men hard at work, searching for any and all that roam this area of the Rukongai. He even allowed his own sensory skills to traverse the area. Able to catch on to the smallest inkling of spiritual presence. Not a soul or flame in sight. They are alone for the time being. The constant smile broadens more, followed by him nodding.
”Good work, Himari.”
He calls towards her, acknowledging her effort and ability to command her subordinates. Even though the task to her may have been a heavy burden, too Arashi it was a minor and simple task. She did well, despite the pressure she has placed on herself. He only hoped that this opportunity would boost her confidence and give her more of a reason to step up and out of her shell. However, the mission is not quite over yet. Arashi opens his mouth to continue speaking.
”Remain here for now. Keep this place secure. I will see about the destruction of this River. However, do not forget about our original task. We still need to retrieve artifacts and bring them back, no matter how simple or bleak the spiritual presence or item may be.”
His head turns once more, looking back towards the four men that followed him this far. A slight nod, a silent gesture for them to move once again. Before a reply could muster from Himari he and the four are gone from her sight. Moving at such a high pace to only find themselves at the bank of the river… Arashi stands closer than his gathered men. They watch as he squats entirely to inspect the river further. He could tell almost immediately how soaked in the spiritual power this river is… So polluted that it turned the color of the river to red, reminiscent of blood… Is this truly the Soul King?
Unable to believe such ties to this artifact, but being an entire river? How far fetch is it really? He stands back up and his head turns to follow the river up stream and from what he can tell, it leads into the mountains. Even from here, he could feel the spiritual energy that lurks and flows through the river stretched for a few miles. Who knew how long this river has been here? Was it here well before the investigation of Itsuki Aasakura? There is no telling how long the farmers have been using the river for their crops. To clean their clothes. To bathe themselves when needing to. Even the act of washing their hands and faces. While water is essentially to their livelihood, it isn’t just the residents of the Rukongai that need to survive. What creatures lurked even this far out that managed to take a drink from this blood red river?
If this artifact has been brought to the attention of the Gotei 13, then likely Commander Muraski knew about this as well. Why hasn’t there been any other further investigation, even during the incident from two months ago? Pondering it made it that much more unsettling, but Arashi does not falter. He holds his own emotions and everything else. First, the flow of the river needed to be dealt with, that meant visiting the headwaters of the river. It could be a number of things: A lake, waterfall, underwater spring… Whatever it may be, he needs to shut it down and stop all flow of the river.
”A few miles from where we are, there is a large concentration of spiritual energy, matching the same energy that pollutes this river. It is likely to be the source, the headwaters to the river. Stopping the flow will slow its progress and eventually bring the river to a stand-still.”
Arashi moved with shunpo, the four men following behind him, rushing along the banks of the river to reach its source.

Traveling from Southeast to Rukongai...

 

[Shinigami]

Yasu was left to her own thoughts, and at times, she regretted separating from the girls, but she would rather die than have them see just how much she was struggling with something they couldn’t begin to understand. Somewhere along the lines of her aimless patrol, she found herself being drawn out to a field where the memories of her childhood came to life…
Bright sunny days, fields filled with laughter and the sight of children roughhousing while their caretakers looked on. Meanwhile, in a lone patch of mowed-down grass was a girl with cotton-candy pink locks, idly spending her time poking and prodding at a self-made mud pile while the others danced around her without paying much attention. Thin limbs, but a plump face she possessed, showing overall that she wasn’t suffering in the poor community of Sabitsura.
Shaking her head violently, Yasu swayed slightly and leaned against an abandoned home that sat on the border between the 64th and 65th districts. Even if she was in disguise, she was beginning to feel as conflicted as she did once she’d been retrieved by her captain. Being alone with herself, or having to remember the events of that day put her at a slight disadvantage. Even with the “deals” that were made with her inner devil, even Yasu should’ve known better than to take her word. Why she was having so many difficulties, she didn’t know, but it was just her own self-doubt that was surfacing.
Taking a seat on a stool that was really on its last leg, She ran her nimble fingers through her dusty locks and took deep, and long breathes as an attempt to center herself and gather her thoughts accordingly before she proceeded to the next district. Sabitsura was safe, for now.
“Hey. What’s the problem, Pinky? Feelin’ a little weak?”
She didn’t respond, even as this inner demon stared her down. Like a zanpakuto spirit, Yasu assumed that she was the only one capable of actually seeing her inner hollow. The normally bright look she usually possessed was replaced by a dull and empty gaze, fashioned into a glare of sorts.
“What, not so talkative now, are we? That’s kinda rude. Here I thought we were just the best of friends, Yasu. What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine.”
The devil was in her ear, and she wasn’t paying any mind to it, much to the inner hollow’s annoyance, but still, she persisted. However, doing everything to keep her mind off of the beast was proving difficult, and Yasu began pulling at her hair to replace the distraction with something, whether it be pain or another method. She felt suffocated… Would this mission be completed under her supervision?

 

[Shinigami]

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The Rukongai, the gathering hub for those human Souls whose lives were cut short, escorted to the Soul Society. Split into numerous districts, it's the less reputable ones that stand at the forefront of the minds of those who call this world their own. Districts that house the impoverished, the ruthless, killers, liars, cheats, thieves and cutthroats — the very place where three peculiar individuals find themselves, heading deeper into the dark corners of the largest portion of the Soul Society.
A group of three women, seemingly helpless traverse the dirt roads that lead from one district to another. Perhaps they believed there was strength in numbers?
No
That was certainly not the case. Their journey leads them to the 64th District where they convene in a humble little hut before parting ways, and with each separation their strength seemingly grows thinner and weaker. One such woman, with a head of pink trudges along the roads, dragging herself towards the 65th District. Around her traveling companions she appears cool, strong and in control...but now, away from them? The mask weakens, fractures as she wrestles with an invisible enemy, but a very real threat...to her at least.

”Someone so young shouldn’t be looking so troubled.”
An elderly voice calls out from behind bushes and trees nearby, words clearly directed towards the woman tugging violently at her own hair. Her inner war turned physical.

A man, several times her senior comes out. His steps, somewhat labored as he supports a large box on his back, supported only by two ropes made shoulder straps. He approaches the young woman, a straw hat covering his head, shielding him from the elements and casting a cooling shade over his face. He towers over the woman and greets her with a smile.
”You don’t look familiar, could it be you’ve gotten yourself lost? Is that why you appear so vexed? Well..CHEER UP! HAHAHA!!”
He places his hands on his hips letting out a hearty laugh. Despite his worn and weathered attire, he exuded a sense of warmth, a rarity in such a place during these uncertain times.
Elsewhere the blue haired and green haired women further part, spreading out to widen the scope of their search...a search for what, only they knew. As the distance between them grows wider, the crowd of bodies grows larger. A group of children, swarm each girl surrounding them in the cluster of dirty young bodies. Their small hands reach up as they bounce repeatedly. From the dirt on their faces, the thin frames of some they seemed to be poor, perhaps orphans forced to become beggars. Their voices were inharmonious, each one clashing and seeking to over speak the other, gibberish all that could be heard as their small bodies bumped against those of these foreign women's.
New faces in the Rukongai were easily noticed by residents of the Rukongai, and this was the result of their visit.

 

[Shinigami]

Himari Himari let herself to her thought for a while but that didn’t stop her from having her senses in high alert. She felt the Lieutenant’s spiritual pressure before she saw him. As she would turn, she would watch as the Lieutenant came over to her. She knew he was having a look at the surroundings himself, making sure she didn’t have any loose ends in her job. The smile and the nod gave her the answer she wanted before he spoke.
”Good Job, Himari.”
That out Himari at ease just a little bit. Even though it was a small taste, she didn’t want to screw it up. She wanted to be able to prove that she can do what she was told without having too many accidents happen on her part. And she, of course, didn’t know what to expect coming out here.
”Remain here for now. Keep this place secure. I will see about the destruction of this River. However, do not forget about our original task. We still need to retrieve artifacts and bring them back, no matter how simple or bleak the spiritual presence or item may be.”
She would nod understanding the order. She was about to reply to him, but he had gone before she could even utter a word. She glared at the place where had once been before she would turn towards the six that were still standing around the Perimeter.
“Make sure you are also looking out for a spiritual artifact. They could be anything from rock, to miss placed items left here by their owns. We need to retrieve all of them and bring them back to Captain Oda. Keep your eyes open. If you feel like you don’t know if it is a artifact, you can bring it to me and I’ll assess it for you.”
At this, the men would nod and she was thankful that they listened to her. She wasn’t used to having this type of authority, it was new to her, so every time in the back of her mind she would have a fear that she would do something wrong.
Also, at the back of her mind, she feared that it was too easy. The entry to this place was way too easy and she felt like it should have been a little harder. They were close to a river that was supposed to be a Spiritual artifact. A whole river. That was a big deal. She felt that there would be people around to guard that? Right? Even the fact that this place had artifacts in it had to be enough to be placed on guard.
Which is why she kept her eyes open. But that didn’t stop the small little feeling of fear that was flowing in her body.